I'll Be Right Here
by Guitarchick727
Summary: Lucia Lang was the 1st official American accepted into Hogwarts. Her grandfather and mother went to Hogwarts but her parents didn't. Her father didn't believe in magic. When she defies her father she finds a friend in someone she never expected. OWOC
1. Romance Novels

Chapter 1 – Romance Novels

Hogwarts School of witch craft and wizardry was my home away from home. At school I was liked and appreciated by my peers. Too bad school is on the other side of the world. Home is in the United States while school is in Scotland, but a part of Scotland that no one has ever heard of. In America witches weren't liked so when I received my letter to Hogwarts I was happy but had to keep it secret. Hogwarts, I had read, was 'a school made up by English storytellers for un-human like creates,' like me. I'm a witch.

I was the first American descendent of a wizard to be accepted to Hogwarts. My Grandfather had been a wizard when he was younger, which was passed on to my mother. My mother wasn't into magic. She was a goody-two shoe and was disappointed when I decided I wanted to go. She had lived her whole life around magic, but rejected it as something she wanted to take part in. My grandparents moved to the United States after they were married to start a family here. Since my grandparents moved here the rest of my family was American. I guess it was an honor to be the first American but I wasn't given any special treatment for it.

The beginning of my seventh and final year was like being at a family reunion. The school was my second family and I loved being there. Being a Gryffindor I was despised by everyone in the Slytherin house except for a few second years who thought they had a chance with me. They didn't. Boys weren't a main concern when it came to school. My mind was focused on good grade. I wasn't a study freak and I didn't do most of the homework. All that mattered to me was passing my classes any way I could and the people closest to me.

I arrived the day before school was start to Hogwarts that first day. I had left home because of a fight with my father. I didn't want to be around him so my get away was Hogwarts. I had set up my bed and belongings in the same room I had had from my first year. The room I shared with my two best friends and three other seventh years. Raven Judd and Elizabeth Morgan, or Liz for short, were both from pure blood families and the first people to talk to me, while Nina Caprice, Skylar Moon and Kendra Brooks started a petition to get me kicked out for being American.

The room was cold with no one there to talk with. I finished setting up my pictures on the nightstand and putting my clothes away before heading toward the common room to sit by the fireplace. I grabbed Gone with the Wind out of my book bag and walked down the winding stairs. I had started to read when I reached the bottom step and ended up walking into somebody. I looked up to see a pair of brown eyes.

"Lucia Lang, what are you doing here so early? The Hogwarts Express doesn't arrive for another day." It was Oliver Wood. Wood, as most people called him, was a friend of mine although we didn't see eye to eye on everything. He too was a Gryffindor and was keeper and captain of our quidditch team. If there was one guy that most of the girls wanted it was Oliver. He was tall with light brown hair and deep brown eyes. I had to admit he wasn't bad looking.

"I can ask you the same thing. But I had a fight with my father and I couldn't stand being home anymore. Plus I didn't want to be on the train with all the first years; they can be so annoying. What are you doing here?"

Wood made his way over to one of the couches and I joined him. "I wanted to have some peace and quiet to work out some new plays. I have a feeling we're going to win the quidditch cup this year. You know that we have to win. We haven't won since I've been here and I'm not graduating without a quidditch cup in my hands." Oliver held his hand up as if he were already holding the cup.

I giggled softly. "I wish you the best of luck. I just hope that you don't get too crazy with your tactics. Promise me that quidditch won't be your only concern this year. Last year Melissa Haven broke up with you because all you talked about was quidditch."

Wood sighed, "Luc, why do you care about what I do?"

"We're friends and I just hope you have fun this year and don't waste it on quidditch."

"Promise me that you'll finally date someone this year. Every year you go to the dances alone and spend most of your free time reading romance novels. You're a great girl and beautiful might I add. A girl like you should be the main character of a romance novel," Wood took my book and put it on the side table.

I knew I blushed and couldn't try to hide it. I looked at Wood and thought of him as my hero in my so-called romance novel. He fit the description: tall, mysterious, handsome and a little sensitive. We were just friends and I honestly didn't want anything else. A girl always wants to be loved and I'm no exception but I had different priorities. Having a boyfriend really didn't matter to me. "We'll see. I'm not going to guarantee anything."

"Okay, so promise me that you'll go to the homecoming dance with me, as a date. And then if you don't have a date to any other dance I can be proud and say I was the only lucky one to get a date with you." Wood put his arm around me.

"I'll go with you, but don't expect anything to happen after the dance. And you will probably be the only lucky one to have a date with me." I turned to him and saw the face of someone who cared. He was going to make sure this was one year I wouldn't forget and secretly I swore to do the same for him.

"Do you want to stay here tonight and just watch movies? Those dorms can be awfully lonely," he said getting out his wand.

I nodded my head, "Yeah that would be nice."

I watched him as he cast threes small spells. One spell to put out the fire, anther spell to dim the lights and the last one to play a movie on the wall above the fireplace. As the movie started to play I gasped. It was Gone with the Wind. I had seen the movie several times before and that's what got me reading the book.

"Are you more of a Scarlett O'Hara kind of girl or a Melanie Hamilton?" Wood asked as the opening credits rolled.

I laughed, "I'm definitely a Scarlett. I'm stubborn most of the time and spoiled rotten when it comes to my grandfather. You can't expect a California girl to be like Melanie Hamilton."

"I've never met a girl from California before you so I wouldn't know."

Wood placed his arm around my shoulders. I hesitantly placed my head on his shoulder. I stayed like that until about the time that Ashley returned home from war. I fell asleep as did Wood. We had no idea how our lives were going to change this year. But at that moment I didn't really care because after the fight I had with my dad, I was happy.


	2. Hearts Breaking Even

Chapter 2 – Hearts Breaking Even

If I only knew that falling asleep on the common room couch was going to get me in trouble, I would have stayed in my own bed. When I woke up every other Gryffindor student was bustling around the common room. I sat up and fixed my tousled hair into a ponytail. Wood had just started to wake as I got up from where I had been sitting with him. I quickly walked up the winding steps to my room. The room was cluttered now with trunks and other things that belonged to the others in the room. I somehow found my way to my bed only to be attacked by Liz and Raven.

"Lucia, what were you and Oliver Wood doing on the couch?"

"Did you come here with him?" the girls asked one after the other, almost finishing each others thoughts. Both stood at the foot of my four post bed waiting for a reply.

"Hi guys, nice to see you too. How was your summer?" I asked sarcastically. They gave me a stern look as if I would be grounded if I didn't answer them. "Geez, cut me some slack here. Wood and I got here early but we didn't come together. I left because of my father and he wanted to work on quidditch plays. I was going to read in the common room when I walked into Wood, literally. We started talking about this year and a little about last year. He asked me if I wanted to watch a movie and he put on Gone with the Wind. Oh, and I'm going to homecoming with him," I said rather quickly as if it were nothing.

The girls couldn't speak. They just stood there staring at me. After about five minutes Raven spoke. "Wood asked you to the dance? And you said yes? You mean you're actually going to a dance with a date? Awe, that is just too cute. Are you guys an item now?"

"No, I don't like him like that. I agreed to go because its homecoming and its our final year and we're friends. I want to go with someone who I like, at least as a friend."

Liz tossed her curly blonde hair over her shoulders before shrieking. "I think you guys are made for each other. It's just like She's All That and Boys and Girls combined with extra magic." She pulled out her wand and swished it around.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in," I yelled. Through the boxes I could see Wood coming my way.

"Lucia, you left this downstairs. I thought you might want it." Wood handed me the book with a smile. "I'll see you ladies later." The three of us watched him walk out of the room without saying anything in return.

As the door closed behind him, Raven and Liz shrieked together. You couldn't tell these two about something love related without them going crazy. I playfully slapped both their arms as I walked out of the room. "I'm going to get something to eat in the main hall," I called back to them. I heard their fast footsteps behind me. They weren't coming with me for food. They were coming to see if another magical moment was going to happen between Wood and me.

I got to the last step and saw Professor **McGonagall standing next to Wood. She noticed me and pointed me over. "Miss Lang, come with me." I was in trouble. McGonagall was quiet the whole time we walked to her office. Wood and I took a seat preparing for the consequences of our actions from last night. "Miss Lang and Mr. Wood, I understand that Dumbledore knew you were both here last evening. However, the way both of you spent the evening was inappropriate for our school. I will not tolerate any funny business going on within this facility. I can understand that while spending several years with the same people you can develop feelings. You may start to see each other but nothing else will be tolerated. Do you understand?"**

**Wood spoke, "Yes, Professor McGonagall. It's just so hard to be in love and holding our feelings in is extremely tough. But I promise you, we will try to do a better job." Wood and I both stood to leave. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into him. He was pretending that we were a couple! We walked towards the door and went into the hallway.**

**"Real nice, Wood. What if she sends letters home to our parents? I'm sure I'll be grounded for the rest of my life when I get home." I tried hard not to laugh at the thought of Wood's declarations of love for me.**

**"You know you enjoyed it. Anyway it doesn't really matter what everyone thinks."**

**I pulled my cell phone out of my skirt pocket to check the time. It was just about five. Wood and I had fallen asleep around three this morning. I guess we had slept most of the day away. "The feast is about to begin. Maybe we should get to the hall. I know Liz and Raven are waiting for me. I'm sure Fred and George are looking for you."**

**"I am getting a little hungry myself." **

**When we arrived most seats were taken. Before I could make it to the open seat beside Liz, Nina Caprice stopped me to talk. "Lucia, it's been so long since I've seen you last. Do you mind if we have a little chat? Oh, hello Oliver."**

**"Hi Nina," Wood said distractedly. He waved at Fred and George then turned back to me. "Luc, I'll see you later." He squeezed my shoulder and went to meet the **Weasley **twins.**

**I watched Nina's eyes follow Wood to the table. She watched him as if she owned him. I had never seen someone look at another person the way she was but I understood when she started talking. "How cute, you guys have nicknames for each other and he's taking you to homecoming. That's really sweet. But I just want to give you a head's up: before the year is through, Oliver will be mine. Just a warning and don't get too attached to him. You don't want your poor little heart to break." Nina's dirty blonde hair swayed like Jan Brady's across her back as she walked away. I had no idea where she got the idea that she had the right to claim him. Wood was his own person and he had the right to choose who he wanted to be with, even if he wanted to be with me.**

**I quickly shook the thoughts of Wood and me being together away. I made my way towards the girls. As I sat down I ran my hands through my silky light brown hair. Raven leaned over Liz. "What were you and Nina talking about?"**

**"Nothing, don't worry about it. It's something I have to deal with." I hated saying that to my friends but I couldn't risk them doing something stupid.**

**Dumbledore appeared beside me holding a little envelope in red. "Lucia, this came for you moments ago," he explained with a concerned look on his face. He handed me the letter. But it wasn't a regular letter. It was a howler. Dumbledore ran a sympathetic hand across my shoulders as he walked away.**

**I placed the letter on the table waiting to see what he had to say. The envelope opened itself up and began to howl. "Lucia Darrin Lang, how dare you defy me! You were told strictly that you were not allowed back to that stupid school. There's no such thing as magic. It was a mistake letting you go there. You'll never have a future in witch craft and now you'll no longer have a future as a normal person in America. You are no longer welcome in my home. I'm through with you and your childish antics. Good-bye Lucia." As the howler finished, it ripped itself up into tiny shreds leaving red debris on the table. I stared at the paper and felt tears well up in my eyes. I couldn't cry in front of everyone, I couldn't.**

**I stood up from the table without saying a word. I walked as normally as possible out of the hall, but as soon as the doors were behind me I ran. I just wanted to be alone. My family had just disowned me. Neither my grandparents nor my mother tried to stop him. I ran until my tears took up most of my breathing. I walked slowly. My body shook violently from the tears and the overwhelming feeling of loneliness.**

**I went to the basement to get into the common room. My mind went black as the picture asked for the password. I was too distressed to think. I sat on the floor with my back against the door. I placed my head in my hands and cried continuously. I could hear heavy footsteps running towards me. I looked up to see him.**

**"Luc, I'm so sorry. Come here," Wood sat down beside me. He wrapped his arm around me holding me close to him. "I'm sorry. Shh…" he tried to calm me down the best he could. He held me close to him and petted my head in comfort.**

**That's when I first realized that maybe Wood and I wasn't such a crazy idea. If he cared he would be here and he was. **

**He didn't want me to be hurt. He kissed the top of my head. I stayed there with him until I got control of myself. He helped me up and looked at me straight," If you ever need me, I'll be here."**


End file.
